Live 8 to reach an estimated audience of 5.5 billion worldwide

LONDON: The Live 8 shows that are slated to be held early next month to coincide with a meeting of eight of the richest countries in the world; the G-8, have started to build up quite a frenzy even as the producers predict that it would be the biggest broadcast ever.

Organizers are promising the “greatest, greatest show on earth”, with an expected audience of 5.5 billion worldwide. Kevin Wall, executive producer, said, “This monumental live broadcast is without doubt the largest global live transmission in history – spanning the entire world – and importantly will be the first to truly embrace the powerful broadband internet. Everyone talks about having something you can watch on the Internet, on TV, something you can hear on terrestrial and satellite radio, and even watch it on your cell phone – well Live 8 is making this real.

Everyone in the world will have the opportunity to view and interact with this groundbreaking event and collectively we will come together to have our voices heard and eliminate extreme poverty.”

Live 8 and The Long Walk to Justice are trying to focus the attention of the leaders and the world at large on the plight of the population of Africa. Millions of Africans and living below the poverty line and are ravaged by deadly diseases like AIDS.

They do not have access to clean drinking water and the other basic necessities of life. Bob Geldof and Midge Ure had organized a Live Aid concert in 1985 to focus on the plight of the people in Ethiopia. The concert had raised millions of pounds for Africa.

This year concerts are being held in Paris, London, Rome, Philadelphia, Tokyo, Johannesburg, Toronto and Berlin. A ninth Live 8 concert could be staged in Moscow.

The London concert, to be staged at Hyde Park, will include performances by Coldplay, Madonna, U2 and Sir Paul McCartney. But some people have accused musicians of getting involved in politics, to this Sir Elton John has a simple answer, “Musicians are kind of like Pied Pipers in this respect, and now I’m really aware or what is going and the injustices that are happening and the anger that we get from seeing it. I don’t have much to say, except that I’m extremely honored to be around to play this concert, because it means so much more to me now than it did.”